Dehydrator



web. Y17'. 1925. 1,527,020

' E. D. VALLIANT DEHYDRATOR 'Filed rime 21, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 :laune 14 a uunumlnl unnmlnm Fleuns 2 INVENTOR MQW fav FIGURE' ATTQRNEY ventionI prow/idea new and novel means Lof Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

Application y filediJune 21; 1921;

Tooll fwitom; et; may corridore:`

Be it known that I, ,Enwin D. VALLIANr-acitizen offtheUnited Statesyandva residenti of `San Martini, inv the county;` offY Santau Clara,

and Statief ofy Gali-torni-ag, have invented cer,`

tain new and! usefull Improvements. in.` Delrydrators of` which;` the following` 1s. i

This@y invention relates? particularly t0 aa machine for.l useiinA dehydratingffruits such i:

as prunes and apricots but may be-flttiflized for the drying 0f nutsforrtreatment oi vege# tables l' It-sthegbjeototney-inventionto provide a dehydrator that?` will i; readilyl accommo dittel a large quantity f of materia;l, and, n, which all :or any part ofthleinateria-l ,mayi he; easily inspectedat anyy time.4 It eaifurther object to` provide a dehydrator; in whichl the mak teral placed therein will he;-uniformly'sulc`- jectednto the action otA the dryingyainand 1n whichl the` ain flo-w may he so directed, ,tenrl t pered,A controlled aeto prevent@ oaseV hardening of the truite andisecure: ag progres-` sivelyV uniform drying thereof; In this ;1n-

securingfa completeand etectivefeireulation offtheair throaghoutlthe entire dehydration-` i chainher. Finally,- it,l is any objecti of. theA 1 in; vention to provide a machine ofthe character,y indicated that "will, he 1 simple inY form;

eompacoeoonomeal inzconstractionLandon eration-, and highly,` elloient` 1nits-,practical application.

Illwtherdrawingg* Figure; l, is,L a; vertical#4 seetionf` through E the fi centen ctthemachine.i

Figuref2, isf a detail section Online 2,-2 of Figure l.

Figureq 1s a,seetlointl` vlewvon line 3--3 of. Eigure f l part broken, away.

vaneadjusting device.A

Figurevis a. red'ucedaelevation ofi the complete dehydration plant;

Referring `more particularly; to the draw` ing-1 indicates a circulan foundation ofV suitable dimensions carrying` af` perpendicularv wall 2 to form a dehydrationc-,liahrloer` 3: in,

conjunction with-(ceilingd, and having. aroof 5 with airain discharge outletf. v'Ilhe ceiling el. isoari'ied o-nibraoketsg? mounted-on wall 2 and; isA of lessiV diameter than said? wall whereby; toI provide an annular passagetherehetween for the outflow 'of the t moistdehydration ain., At Sisshown a doon slidaloly` mounted in wall2gandzaef9a pocket to receive the` door when opened-.1y

At `10 is shown apit inthe center ofthe chamber 3, and at ll isa heatedyairvconduit through which heated air-l is,` dischargedfinto, i

heated1 air heine`` (seeFig. 5). n-.the top ofthe pittltljis mounted an annular casting leonqhallhearf inge l5, said casting having; a shoulderpl, formed on the exterior thereof-1, an,air;plgstsf, sage: 17 formed therein and; groote@` 18 formed in. its,.iippen edge, the shoulder;` leloef inghexagonaldn formas shownfin 0n shoulder extendingtherefrorn to a joist` are arranged a pair ci', parallel spaced joists. as 20 randz2l extending goutwagrdlythe. same distance as` joists-` 19, all` of. the;joissts4 being covered, with a flooring; 22, ,1f and, each jolst;having` a roller 2,3niounted thereon.

The rollers 23"are arranged in acircle-torun on a track 24 set `in the bottonimfVl the chamber The table thus. formed inayjherotated in any, suitablegrnann-er astby an an nular gear 25., mounted onthe underside thereof, having gear connections.. to a i motor. 26 arranged; on lthe `exterior of 'thechamber; andI controlled by a; lever 271.,

On i flooring 22A and,r directly, over oistsl 2,0

Y i construction the stacks. otraysare placed in Figure t is@ an i enlargedA plan; View ottliei tending downwardly intozgi'oove 18 solas-to' prevent any mate-rial, amount otyairftroinf issuingat this. point vand yet permitting. the

lrce revolution off said` conduit-1.V The conduitf 3G is hereshown as branching, laterally 'fourv waysv at Yits upper end as. at` 37e-37kg STL-37. and abouti midway the height ot drawnf from ai heater-"13,

lo are arrangedsix joists 19,` point ad) wentwalh 2. Uponl the corresponding sides of each chamber 3, each branch having a pipe section as 38 adjustably mounted thereon by adjusting and supporting brackets 39. Pipe 38 is flattened out to form a long narrow discharge nozzle 40 having its mouth arranged parallel with shaft 33 and spaced a little way from the inner ends ot' trays 30 as shown. At 4l is shown a diffusion vane adjustably mounted at the end ot nozzle 40 inthe relative position shown. The adjustment is effected lby means ot' a .bracket 42 mounted 0n each end ot nozzle 40 and provided with a curved slot 43, the vane carrying bars 44 provided with oritices and bolts 46. By means ot this construction the vanes may 'be placed close to the nozzle 40 or spaced a distance therefrom at either end, and it may be placed at any desired langle to the normal air How through said nozzle.

Passing upwardly trom the center ot conduit 36 is a conduit 47 having an opening 49 intol the space 48 between ceiling 4 and root 5, this opening `being controlled. by a valve 50 hinged at 51 and operated by a rod At 53 is shown another conduit communicating with conduit 47 and heater 13, the valve 50 closing this conduit when opening passage 49 and vice versa.

In conduit 36 are provided a number ot small orifices as 54, for the purpose hereinatter described.

ln loading the dehydrator the trays are trucked into and deposited in one compartment as A, the lever 27 being operated to revolve the table as described thereby bringing compartmentl B into alignment with the door. Each of the remaining compartments are now successively brought in to position and loaded, upon which thedoor is closed.

The fan being started, heated air is driven through conduits 11, 17 and 36 out through nozzles 40 into chamber 3 and impinging upon the several vaines. The vanes being set to direct the air trom all ot the nozzles in the same direction, the reaction causes shaft 33 and all the parts mounted thereon to revolve, thereby securing a thorough and uniform distribution ot' the air through and around all ot the trays 30.

The air discharged into chamber 3 is driven out into space 48 and thence to the atmosphere. Since the air trom nozzles 40 is driven outwardly to the circumference ot the chamber there is a. suction created at the upper and lower ends ot the revolving nozzles tending to create an air circulation suoli as indicated by arrows Air circulating in this manner would lill the center of the chamber with moist air and inter-tere somewhat with the success'tul operation ot the dehyrator. To obviate this dilliculty l provide several small orifices in conduit 36 so that a small amount ot warm dry air is being constantly fed into the center of the chamber and the undesired tlow ot air above referred to eliminated.

By opening valve 50 in conduit 47, to close conduit 53, the air will be discharged direct into chamber 48. It the air is not sutliciently heated, then the valve 50 is opened with respect toV conduit 53 and closes opening 49 so that a quantity ot' heated air is drawn from conduit 36 through conduits 47 and 53 to be reheated to a higher temperature in heater 13 and again mixed with dehydration air and passed through conduit. 11. Valve 5() is shown as a double leat' valve, one leaf as 50u being operable by a separate rod 50b so that both opening 49 and conduit may be closed at the same time when no variation in the temperature o't the dehydration air is desired.

I claim:-

1. A dehydrator comprising a dehydration chamber, means for supporting matcria-l to be dehydrated therein, an air supply conduit revolubly mounted in the center ot said chamber, means for supplying air to said conduit, means for discharging the air radially from said conduit, and means in the path ot the radially discharging air 'tor revolving said conduit.

2. A dehydrator comprising a dehydration chamber, means for supporting material to be dehydrated therein, an air supply conduit revolubly mounted in said chamber. an air duct extending radially from said conduit, a nozzle on said duct, and means tor directing the air discharge trom said nozzle at an angle to the radial plane ot said air duct whereby to effect the rotation et said duct and conduit.

3. A dehydrator comprising a dehydration chamber, means for supporting material to be dehydrated therein, an air supply conduit revolubly mounted in said chamber. an air duct extending radially from said conduit, a discharge nozzle on said duct, and an air deflection vane ar anged on said nozzle Ytor directing the air discharge to etl'ect rotation ot said conduit.

4. A dehydrator comprising a dehydration chamber, means for supporting material to be dehydrated therein, an air supply conduit revolubly mounted in said chamber. an air duct extending radially from said conduit, a discharge nozzle on said duct, and an air deflection vane arranged on said nozzle in the path of the discharging air and rotatably adjustable about a vertical aXis adjacent said nozzle.

5. A dehydator comprising a dehydration chamber, an air supply conduit revolubly mounted in the chamber, means for supplying air to said conduit, means for supporting material to be dehydrated about the conduit, discharge nozzle connected to said conduit to revolve therewith adjacent llt) -ber between the axis thereof said material and having a vertically disposed discharge orice extending to points adjacent the top and bottom of said chamber, and means carried by the nozzle for detlecting the air :from said nozzle orifice to eiect rotation of the conduit.

6. A dehydrator comprising a dehydration chamber, an air supply conduit revolubly mounted in the chamber, means for supplying air to said conduit, means for supporting material to be dehydrated about the conduit, and a nozzle operatively mounted on said conduit to discharge air therei'rom toward the surrounding Wall ot' the chamber, said conduit having means for introducing a quantity of air into said chamand the p-ath ot travel of said nozzle.

7. A dehydrator comprising a dehydration chamber designed for supporting a series of trays, means for supplying a drying current of air thereto, and a distributing device comprising a rotatably mounted series of radiating nozzles having orifices tor directing the drying air in a direction substantially tangential to the path oi'l movement of the nozzles whereby to effect rotation of said nozzles.

S. A dehydrator comprising a dehydration chamber, means for supporting material to be dehydrated therein, an air discharge chamber arranged over said dehydration chamber and communicatingI therewith adjacent the circumference, an air supply conduit revolubly mounted in saidV chamber', an air nozzle operatively mounted thereon to direct the air radially toward the circumference otsald chamber, and a valve controlled air conduit communicating with said revoluble conduit and said air discharge chamber for controlling the discharge oi' air from the nozzle.

9. A dehydrator comprising a dehydration chamber, means for supplying a drying current or' air thereto, and a series of radiating distributing nozzles connected to the aforesaid means, detiecting Yanes mounted on the nozzles in the path of the discharging air, and means for adjusting the vanes relative to the nozzles.

10. A dehydrator comprising an annular dehydration chamber having a door therein, aI floor revolubly mounted therein, a plurality of radially arranged compartments arranged on said floor, means for operating said floor to bring any desired compartment in alignment with said door, means for supporting a plurality of trays in each compartment, and means Wi thin the circular series of compartments for distributing a continuous flow of air thru said chamber and the compartments therein.

l1. A dehydrator comprising a dehydraA tion chamber, means tor supplying a drying current of air thereto, a plurality of radiating distributing nozzlesconnected to said means and rotatably mounted, and means adjustably carried by the nozzles to eiiect a discharge of air therefrom at a variable angular relation to the radial planes including the nozzles for varying the speed oi' rotation of the same, said nozzles being rotated by and during the discharge of air therefrom.

EDWIN D. VAVLLIANT. 

